ICT Pulse Podcast

Consistent with the growing discussion of digital sovereignty in the Caribbean region and worldwide, greater attention is being placed on the establishment of data embassies. In response, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) published a study on the subject.

We chat with Demetris Herakleous, an Associate Economic Affairs Officer at ECLAC, on the prospect of Caribbean countries establishing a data embassy, including:

* the differences between a data embassy and a data centre;

* the possibility of a regional data embassy being established; and

* some of the security considerations, especially in light of data sovereignty concerns.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

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Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a central pillar of the global internet governance ecosystem. In the latter half of 2025, consultations were held with the Latin American and Caribbean region on the strategic plan ICANN hopes to implement in the region for the period 2026 to 2030.

Rodrigo de la Parra, ICANN's Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean and Managing Director of the LAC Regional Office, joins us to discuss, among other things:

* ICANN's strategic plan for Latin America and the Caribbean and some of the considerations underpinning the proposed plan;

* the differences in how Latin America and how the Caribbean region approach Internet Governance-related issues and engage with ICANN;

* the recently held "ICANN Near You" event in Guyana; and

* how someone interested in getting more involved with ICANN could do so.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ICTPulse

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/

Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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In our February 2026 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, an HR Consultant and Founder and CEO of Persolve Limited in Trinidad and Tobago, Joel-Ann Cook-Walcott, and a long-time friend of the Show, Steven Williams, the Executive Director of Sunisle Communications Inc., and the Principal Consultant of Data Privacy and Management Advisory Services in Barbados, the panel discusses:

* The evolving need for Caribbean digital sovereignty, and

* Will the Silicon Valley tech culture shape the Caribbean workplace?

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ICTPulse

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/

Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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In late 2025, the United Nations concluded its 20-year review of the outcomes emanating from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

Noting that the Caribbean region has been an active participant from WSIS's inception in 2003, we invited Nigel Cassimire, the Deputy Secretary General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, to discuss the findings of the review and resulting resolution, including

* the initial rationale and objectives of WSIS;

* whether WSIS is still relevant in today's digital environment; how the review addressed matters related to AI; and

* how regional bodies, such as the CTU, can take the global 2025 outcomes and make them actionable in their member states.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ICTPulse

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/

Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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We kick off our Expert insights series on cyber threats and security for 2026, with Sean Slattery of Caribbean Solutions Lab in the Cayman Islands. In this episode, he discusses, among other things:

* the changes in the threat landscape that occurred in 2025;

* the potential impact of agentic AI and the emerging threat of quantum computing in the security space;

* how we can prove who we are in a world of (near) perfect fakes; and

* three things organisations should be doing in 2026 to improve their network/IT security.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ICTPulse

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/

Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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In many recent global and regional assessments on artificial intelligence (AI), Caribbean countries have performed poorly, as the requisite systems and frameworks are still underdeveloped. The foundation of any country's work on AI is establishing national policies and a framework to facilitate the development of the enabling environment.

With Dr Craig Ramlal, the Chair of the Caribbean AI Task Force, we discuss the Task Force's Interim Report, which proposes harmonised AI policies for the region. During this conversation, Craig shares, among other things:

1. Some of the unique or underlying considerations that shaped the recommendations made by the Task Force in its Interim Report.
2. The approach the Task Force employed to arrive at its recommendations.
3. A key issue or concern in each of the policy areas that the Task Force proposed, and what recommendations have been made.

Note: Feedback on the Interim Report can be sent to [email protected] and should be received no later than 31 May 2026.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ICTPulse

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/

Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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In an era of tighter funding, rising development costs, and increasing pressure to demonstrate real value, digital venture studios are proving to be an alternative to the more traditional incubator and accelerator startup models.

Seasoned tech entrepreneur and innovator, Rodney Browne, launched the Innovation Factory in 2025 in Saint Kitts and Nevis, which is currently building four ventures with plans to bring them to market later this year. In our conversation with Rodney, he shares with us, among other things:

* the ventures he has been building;

* how he balances his time between the Innovation Factory and his other commitments;

* how the startup/entrepreneurship landscape in Saint Kitts and Nevis changed since he launched his first business; and

* the advice he would give to someone wanting to build something similar to the Innovation Factory.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ICTPulse

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/

Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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In our January 2026 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, IT Specialist, Researcher and Digital Analyst, Mathew Cowen, who is based in Martinique, and Esmeralda Levens-Wijngaarde of Blyce in Curaçao, the panel discusses:

* How important are sovereign systems, dataflows and data access for the Caribbean region?

* The AI hype cycle and the pressure to adopt, and finally,

* Web3: Is it still a thing?

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ICTPulse

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/

Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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In this our final Community Chat and final episode for 2025, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, International Consultant, and an Economist, Yacine Khelladi, and International Consultant, Carlton Samuels, the panel discusses the ICT/technology trends and developments that were evident across the Caribbean region in 2025, and what might be in store in 2026.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ICTPulse

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/

Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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To varying degrees, Caribbean countries are grappling with the issue of privacy and data protection. Countries that have more recent frameworks have been struggling to fully operationalise all of the provisions, whilst there are others that have not adopted current best practice in the space.

With information privacy specialists, Allison James of Barbados, and Rishi Maharaj of Trinidad and Tobago, we explore privacy and data protection trends and developments across the Caribbean region. During our conversation, we discuss:

* how privacy and data protection have evolved over the past few years;

* the current status of regulatory enforcement;

* areas of divergence or contradiction that multinational companies operating across the Caribbean must navigate; and

* trends or emerging developments that the Caribbean region may need to consider.

The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found on the ICT Pulse Podcast Page (www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/)

Enjoyed the episode? Do rate the show and leave us a review!

Also, connect with us on:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ICTPulse/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ictpulse/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ICTPulse

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/3745954/admin/

Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/qnUtj

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez

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